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A TRAIN INDICATOR. N0. 481,364. Patented Aug; 23, 1892.

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(No Model.)

H. L. MANTON. TRAIN INDICATOR.

No. 481,364. PatentedAug; 23, 1892.

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No. 481,364. Patented Aug. 23, 1892.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIC HERBERT L. MANTON, OF MELBOURNE, VICTORIA.

TRAIN-INDICATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 481,364, dated August 23, 1892.

. *8 Application filed December 1, 1891. Serial No. 413,752. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HERBERT LEsLIE MAN- TON, merchant, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain, residing at 454. Collins Street, in the city of Melbourne and Colony of Victoria, Australia, have invented a certain new and useful Machine for Exhibiting Tabulated Public Information and Advertisements, (for which no patent has been granted to me in anycountry,) of which the following is a speci fication.

This invention is for the purpose of affording the public increased facilities for ascertaining the times of arrival and departure of mails, trains, trams, steamers, or other conveyances and, in general, any information that is of public utility and value. The mechanism is placed in an upright pedestal-box or similar casing conveniently placed at streetcorners, places of resort, and other positions where considered necessary, so that if a person is at a distant part of the city and wishes to know the time of departure of a mail, train, or steamer he can by going to one of these apparatus and looking at the row of pressbuttons arranged on the face thereof will notice a button referring to the desired information, and upon pressing same and turning the handle simultaneously, as directed, a dial will be rotated, which will continue so to do until arrested by the button pressed upon, the end of the latter entering one of the holes in the dial of the apparatus, with the result that the desired information is exhibited in a window placed in the front of the box for that purpose.

Theinvention consists of a dial constructed of metal or other material set vertically and affixed to a shaft mounted in bearings suitably attached to the casing in which the apparatus is contained. On the front end of this shaft and outside the box is keyed a handle or hand-wheel for rotating the aforesaid dial. On this dial are arranged any number of spaces on which the items of information are placed, and in said dial are formed any number of holes (at varying distances from the center of the dial) for receiving the ends of the press-buttons when the latter are actuated, said press-buttons being of any number and mounted on the front of the box and having characteristic marks upon or near them referring to the items of information upon the dial. These buttons are provided with springs for bringing them back to their normal position after being pressed. To each button there is a corresponding hole and item of information in and upon the dial, respectively. A counterbalance-weight is attached to the dial, so as to bring it back toapredetermined point and thus exhibit a blank or other card at the window during the time the apparatus is not in use. The front of the boxis divided off into spaces of any desired size for the placing thereon of advertisements, and also the top is of an ornamental design, and in which a clock is preferably placed, so as to make the apparatus more of a public convenience and necessity and complete in its nature. If pre ferred and where the extra cost is not an object, the turning of the dial can be performed by a small electric motor placed in the box and actuated by and in electric circuit with any and all of the press-buttons before referred to; but for simplicity the use of the handle herein described is preferred.

Reference may now be had to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l is a front view of the apparatus with the front of the box removed for clearness sake. Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view. Figs. 3 and 4 are-side and front detail views of the press-button and connections. Fig. 5 is a perspective elevation of the apparatus as erected and showing the divisions for advertisements. Fig. 6 shows an alternate means of revolving the dial by an electric motor.

Similar letters denote similar parts in all the figures.

In the figures, A is the dial, mounted vertically on the transverse shaft A, working in bearings A affixed to casing. In said dial are holes A of any number, formed at different distances from center of dialAfor receiving the ends of the press-buttons, hereinafter described.

A is the counterbalance-weight attached to the dial A.

B is the handle-wheel, keyed or otherwise attached to the shaft A for the purpose of rotating the latter.

On the dial A are spaces 0, of any number, upon which are placed the items of tabulated public information C.

D are the press-puttons, (also of any number,) suitably mounted on the face of the box and having reduced ends D for insertion into (when pressed) the holes A in dial A, and thus shoulders are formed on the buttons D, which stop their unnecessary progress into the holes A. These buttons D are provided with retention-springs D afiixed at D to the casing. Pins or stops D are placed in the buttons, against which the springs DZ exert their force.

Contiguous to the outer ends of the buttons are words or marks referring to the items C on the dial A.

E is the casing, containing the apparatus, and E the face, which is divided into advertisement-spaces E E is the window in which the items 0' are exhibited.

The number of the press-buttons D, items 0, and holes A are similar, each referring and corresponding to each other.

"I do not confine myself to the size or materials of construction of the apparatus, nor to the size or shape of the box, nor to the number of press-buttons or advertisement-spaces on the box.

Referring to Fig. 6, in which the alternate electric means of working the dial A is shown,

F are the wires, and F the motor connected to the shaft A by wheels F. F is the electriccell or battery which energizes the motor F and buttons D by the said wires F.

The mode of using this invention is as follows: Assume that a person requires toknow when a train departs for Dog Bay from the town in which one of these inventions is in use, he runs his eye along the row of pressbuttons D, and upon finding the one referring to Dog Bay he presses same (preferably with his left hand) and simultaneously turns the handle B, and so the dial A. The latter rotates till its progress is arrested by the button entering the Dog Bay hole A in the dial, and simultaneously the item of information 0, showing the time of departure of the train for Dog Bay, will be exhibited in the Window E Upon the operator being satisfied with the informatin shown he withdraws the pressure from button D, thus releasing the dial A. The latter then revolves back (by means of the weight A) to zero and exhibits the blank or zero card until again put in mo-' tion by the next operator. Whenitis preferred to rotate the dial A by electricity and so obviate having to turn the handle, the button D being pressed an electric circuit is completed by wires F and the motor F put in motion, which by wheels F rotates the dial till ar- 'sponding number of holes at difier'ent distances from its axis, a series of press-button plugs mounted in bearings in the casingand corresponding in number with the holes in dial, and means for rotating the dial, for the purpose set forth.

2. In a machine forimpart-ing information, the combination, with a dial having a series of holes at different distances from its axis,

of a series of spring-retracted press-button plugs having reduced ends, forming shoulders to limit the entry of the plugs into the said holes, substantially as described.

3. In a machine forimpartinginformation, the combination, with a casing having a suitable reading-opening, of a dial carrying a se- H. L. MANTON. Witnesses:

A. O. SACHSE, B10111). SPARROW,

. Melbourne.

rested and with the same result as before de- 

